Promise or Love?
by Sanctuary-Enigma
Summary: Promised to one, yet savagely taken by another, Kaoru must choose whether her heart lies within her father’s promise to one man, or heart’s desire by a seductive pirate. Will she choose her heart or a promise?
1. Everything happens for a Reason

AN- I know what you're thinking. A next new story out by me? I know I have other stories I have to finish but I couldn't help with this one. I had this one stuck in my head for the longest time and I wrote it so many times to have the first chapter like this. I hope you guys like it. It took me forever to write it, though I enjoy every aspect of it. Please leave a review, and feel free to leave comments, suggestions, and questions behind, though I don't except flames.

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**_I did a lot of research before writing this story. This story and the plot is personally my own, so please don't steal the plot, or accuse me of stealing this plot. Thanks._** **

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DISCLAIMER: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin series. I wish I did but I don't. : (

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TITLE: Promise or Love? **

**SUMMARY: Promised to one, yet savagely taken by another, Kaoru must choose whether her heart lies within her father's promise to one man, or heart's desire by a seductive pirate. Will she choose her heart or a promise?**

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**Everything happens for a Reason **

**Chapter one**

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Kaoru Kamiya approached the room with forced gracefulness as both her mother and father called her to enter their domain. Out of all the days since her fifteenth birthday, this was the day she feared, the day when her father would mention her upcoming future. Ever since she was little, her father would speak of her marrying someone of class and wealth. For him to summon her really early in the morning must have meant he found someone suitable for her.

For some reason Kaoru expected this situation to happen to her earlier. In families, young girls at the age of fourteen to fifteen years were betrothed and married off to wealthy men, as Kaoru's mother had been, though she had not been allowed to see whom she was going to marry at the time. Many suitors had asked for Kaoru's hand in marriage, though they only did it through her father, not her. He never did allow any of them to meet with her in person. However, all the men who came to ask for her hand in marriage, which sought out for her, were all turned down because they did not have enough wealth to suit her father's proposal.

Kaoru was sure now her father had picked the rightful husband for her. Soon his name would be mentioned and she would be sent to his honor and marriage.

As soon as Kaoru entered the room, she noticed her father didn't bother to look up at her approaching figure. It was a good thing too, because he would have mentioned some bad remark about her stiff figure entering the room, and not acting ladylike as he paid well for the teacher in convent school to teach her.

Looking at her father carefully, she examined his facial expression. As always his amber eyes remained cold as his face remained serious. Never did he look at her. Could it be that he finally changed his mind? Is he feeling guilty about everything? He sent her out to school for nineteen years, since she was a baby. Now that she finally came home once again, he was sending her away.

Tokio Kamiya looked at her daughter anxiously. She tried to dissuade her husband from having Kaoru marry the wrong man, to let her choose the man she wanted to marry, but her attempts were all futile. Saito Kamiya off handily told her his final decision. He made it clear that Kaoru was going to marry whom he chose and that was final. Kaoru was too different from other girls. Tokio so badly wanted to explain that fact to her husband. Kaoru was too spirited and too beautiful to give away. If Kaoru had chosen a good husband for herself, she could have been happy, however, Saito wanted a man of title to marry his daughter. He did not care if Kaoru found her husband to be repulsive or not.

"Well, Kaoru, I guarantee this will not take long," Saito finally said. His emotionless amber eyes caught Kaoru's sapphire eyes.

Saito did not alarm Kaoru. Never did he show emotions or love toward her or her mother. He treated them coldly as he treated his servants. His mind only focused on one thing, which was nothing but a considerable amount of wealth. These thoughts took up most of his time, leaving very little room for his family.

"Why don't you sit down, my dear Kaoru? You must tired from your long journey back from school," said Tokio tenderly before Saito could begin with his business.

Kaoru knew how much her mother loved her, but she refused to sit down, because she did not want to make anything easier for her father. Right now she felt like rebelling, though in her standard of place she had no right too. These things happened to every other woman, and it will never change throughout the centuries. She now began to wish her mother never spoke of marriage of love. From small her mother told her stories about meeting the right guy and falling in love. She spoke how wonderful love could be once it was found, and the feeling that it could bring. Yet when this was happening to her, she wished she never knew the meaning of love, when it will never come to her.

"Through a long time of considering the right man for you, I have come to a conclusion that you should marry. I have arranged for your marriage to Soujiro Seta," Saito continued. "It will take place very soon, like after the New Year."

Kaoru's blue eyes flashed defiantly at him for his cruel announcement. It was like a heart-wrenching blow through her soul. It was probably the last time she could rebel against him for soon she was to belong to another. Then with ladylike manners, she meekly bowed her head like an obedient daughter would do.

"Yes father," said Kaoru quietly. Her own soft tone amazed her. How could be so in self-control at a time like this?

"Soujiro Seta resides in the Caribbean. You have a month to stay here until your ship is ready to take you there. I have hired the finest dressmakers. They will assist you with your clothing, and your young maid Tae will accompany you on the trip as both a companion and a chaperone."

"Why must I go so far away," Kaoru exploded. Her temper could not be held back any longer. She didn't want to leave her mother so far behind, or the little life and memories her home so well preserved for her. "There should be someone here who I could marry father."

"Good lord!" shouted Saito as he got from his seat to glare at his wife. His light colored complexion turned red.

"All those years at convent school went for nothing! Here she is still questioning my authority! You better teach her something or I won't be responsible for my actions!"

"If you only will listen to what your daughter will have to say," Tokio ventured, taking her daughter's side for a change.

"I have made my final decision," Saito declared. "Kaoru is to marry Soujiro Seta. I have made my mind set on the arrangements of the marriage. No longer can it be undone. I only hope Soujiro could learn to tame the temper she has!"

Does her father have to talk about her the way he does, like if she wasn't even around at all? Kaoru truly did love her father, but at times he made her want to scream at him for all he had done to do her.

"Father could I be excused?" asked Kaoru now trying to end the argument she first started.

"Yes you may. I have told you everything you needed to know for now. That's all."

Kaoru ran out the room. A part of her wanted to weep, while the other part of her wanted to laugh. She knew the man her father spoke about. At least her situation wasn't any worse. He could have chose to marry her off earlier as soon as she was done with convent school. But it took three years for him to finally make up his mind, and three years for the man she was about to marry to increase his wealth.

So many different emotions ran through her as she ran upstairs to her room. She was angry at her father for taking her to a different place, with different people. That idea horrified her. She wasn't mad for her father to set up an arranged marriage forever since she could remember she was always warned about that day her life would completely change. She felt completely saddened about the fact she was leaving her dear mother, but felt exhilarated by the fact she was traveling alone with her close friend Tae, whom she loved as much as she loved her mother.

Entering her room, the room she hardly seen because she was away most of the time, Kaoru saw her maid tending the flowers in her room. Sadly giving her a smile, Kaoru threw her entire body on her bed, while gem like tears fell from her eyes.

Tae moved over to the weeping young Kaoru and tried her best to comfort her. "Shush. Everything will be all right. You will see. The man will give you what your heart desires."

"That is where you are wrong Tae. I will never forgive father for what he is doing to me. He is sending me to a strange country with strange people inhabiting it. How could I go there? I will run away before going there!" Kaoru said childishly as she rested her head on Tae's lap.

"God will forbid such a thing, especially from you!" Tae scolded, shaking one slender finger at Kaoru. And then her eyes soften. "The Kaoru I know is will strong and something like this is something she could face. This man, you never know could be the man you will fall for, and may bless you with many children. Hope to God I will live to raise your children."

Kaoru smiled as she finally sat up on her bed. Her sapphire eyes lighted so much with spirit and determination. Tae was right. Kaoru would marry this young man and make the best of her life. She had past the age of making tantrums. She no longer could get what she wanted. The sisters at the convent school taught her she had to deal with what she could get and make the best of it.

Though a part of her still wondered what she ever did for her father not to love her so. All her life she did her best to please him, when he never paid the closest attention to her. No matter what, she made it her life's mission from young to make her father like her, yet nothing pleased him. She turned to making trouble, turning rebellious against him, yet that didn't work. He sent her to convent school, hoping that there she would learn discipline. Even learning everything how to be a proper lady, did not please him. At times she wished she could be the son he longed for. But things happened. They were meant to be. For some reason God put her in this world to be a woman and to fulfill something.

As she grew older, she realized that no matter what she did, her father would never be pleased. She learned to accept her place in which her sisters at convent school taught her. She learned to accept the love she already had which was her mother's and Tae's love. What more could matter? Whatever reason God put her here, she knew she had sacrificed too much of her happiness in life and that someway, someday, happiness will come to her, even if it lasts for a short time.

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Early in the evening, Tokio walked into Kaoru's private room to talk to her. She wanted to make sure her daughter was fine from earlier events. For a young spirited girl, Tokio didn't want her daughter, Kaoru, to be going through, what she was going through right now. 

"I tried very hard to convince your father not to carry you off to that- that man," Tokio said nefariously, while wringing her hands together. She had an unusual habit of doing that.

"Oh mother, you should not blame yourself for something you were not responsible for. I was only hurt at first for knowing I had to go so far away. I always knew father would arrange a marriage for me. I was completely aware he had that in his mind."

"Well, Saito has been making the arrangement for months on his own without any consideration. He didn't bother to know of your needs, knowing the fact that you will be in a different place, with different people, with new climate and other things you will have to learn to cope with. It is too much for you to absorb in. Plus the man is a stranger. You never met the man before." Tokio usually spoke what was on her mind in front of her daughter. Since she was pacing back and forth in Kaoru's room, she seemed to be at lost for words.

"Mother, is there something you wish to tell me?" asked Kaoru inquisitively. She was unsure how everything should be between her mother and her.

"There are some things I do wish to speak to you about, that is if you don't mind," said Tokio, unaware how small her voice sounded.

"Please go on mother."

"You know that I love you for how much you are willing to do almost anything for your father's happiness. Though I blame it upon myself that you cannot have what you truly deserve." Tokio turned away from her daughter, not being able to see sadness within her daughter's eyes. But instead of receiving what she expected, she got something else.

"What do you mean mother?" asked Kaoru innocently, titling her head to one side.

"I mean as a mother I wanted you to have happiness. I wanted you to be able to choose the husband you want to marry instead of having your father choose for you. I thought what happened between us a long time ago will never repeat itself again but it did."

"Mother?"

Tokio turned to face her daughter once again. If she had to reveal the real truth to her daughter then let it be so. It was time she confessed to her daughter about her past, about what really happened between her and Saito. Grabbing the sides of her skirts, Tokio looked up to see her daughter gazing at her with a questionable look from her sapphire eyes.

"Mother?" Kaoru iterated.

"It happened a long time ago, before you were born. My father was never really rich until he struck gold in a land mind. Automatically he opened businesses and became rich, far beyond you ever dreamed. The only problem about being rich was he needed to have a son to inherit his businesses and his money. Women have no say when it came to those things. When it came time for my marriage, mother wanted me to marry based upon my choice, but also with a choice of being able to receive money from him. However, father refused. He said he would choose the man for me to marry."

"Oh gosh mother!" Kaoru exclaimed looking at her mother with disbelief. In some ways, her mother story reminded her of the situation she was going through. "What happened mother?"

"Well, my father chose a nice rich man for me to marry. The man had so much land, so much money. During the time I use to travel a lot to town with my mother, hoping to spend a lot of time with her as possible before I left her. It was then I met up with up with Saito."

"Talk about being so dramatic."

"Yes, well, we fell in love. Every time I went to town, it was to see him. Yet when the time came for me to marry, I told your father I could never see him again."

"Mother that can't be! How did you end up being with father?"

Tokio smiled at her daughter. She was so open, so willing to listen. Even confessing the truth and teaching her daughter a moral, she was still so eager to learn and relate to her situations. Yet the main difference between the both of them was Kaoru was willing to give her happiness to please someone else.

"Mother how?"

"Your father never saw me again, when I married whom my father wanted me to marry. Only later did the man I first married realized that my father became new with wealth. He hated the idea and rejected me completely. I felt so desolated, like there was nothing in the world to ease my mind, until one day I found out I became a widow."

"Oh I am so sorry to hear that!"

"It is okay. It was from there that I believed things happened for a reason. My father realized the type of man he got me involved in and decided for me to choose the man I wanted to marry. Saito who was already rich was the man I chose to marry. My family agreed based on certain conditions. In the end I married your father out of love, and from that love you blossomed."

"I am so happy everything turned out to be so fine!" Kaoru hugged her mother, glad for her mother to confess her romantic story with her. It was a way of telling her how much she loved her.

"Yes and basically from that day forward I promised for you to be happy without making sacrifices, yet you did anyway. Saito so badly wanted a son and had you. I didn't want him to make the same mistake my father made earlier. Now he's doing the same thing my father did, and I am so helpless to stop it."

Kaoru stopped hugging her mother and drew away from her. Walking to her dresser, her head became engrossed with the details her mother told her. "Everything happens for a reason right? Even you said you believed that, when your first husband died. I know through father's cold heart, that he still cares for me. He maybe believes that a man having a lot of wealth will guarantee my safety and well being."

"Oh dear, you could be so generous! You remind me so much of my mother before she passed on. She was always willing to help another soul, or do whatever pleased her close relatives. For that good heart of yours, you should never feel disappointed or feel any remorse when your heart has found the chance to love. Please promise me that," Tokio said moving closer to her daughter and clutching her forearms. "Please say when you find one moment of happiness, even for a little time that you will be happy, you won't feel any remorse, and you will enjoy it."

"Yes mother, I promise," said Kaoru finally making a conclusion to their heartfelt conversation. Just then servants passed by the room checking to see if everything was in order and waiting for Tokio to order them about. Tokio left Kaoru's room to tend to her business.

Kaoru on the other hand stood before her mirror, wondering why Soujiro would pick a woman like her to marry. She didn't consider herself as beautiful as her mother spoke of her. She thought of herself rather plain looking. She had a petite figure. Instead of having full breasts and round curves, she found her hips to be too slim, giving her breasts not enough firmness. Her small waist kind of added small curves, yet whichever gown she wore, she always had to put pads around her hip area, giving her a womanly form. Her long raven hair was always straight. It did not have any body to it. Her skin was smooth, but did not have blemish within it.

"No matter what, I will learn to accept life. However it may come to me, I will live it, cause everything happens for a reason," Kaoru whispered to herself.

Unbinding her long raven hair, Kaoru walked up to her four-poster bed, and crawled under the coverlets. Her long raven hair fell to the side of the bed and the floor. With so many things going through her head, it took her awhile before she fell asleep.

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(To Be Continued) 


	2. Opening of the Mind

AN- Well I wrote a lot of chapters for this fic. I don't know when to post them, but I'll post them anytime soon. Please do leave comments, suggestions, and questions in a review. Thanks! And have a good night or good day wherever you are!

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**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin series. I wish I did but I don't. : ( ****

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**Opening of the Mind**

**Chapter Two**

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"Kaoru, please do rush."

Kaoru looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her sapphire eyes saddened at the fact that today was her last day home. From this time, she would never be able to call this home her home. During the past month, she hoped that this day would never come, but it did. It was a slow punishment for her.

"I told the maids to wake you up earlier, so they could dress you properly," Tokio continued. "But then again I would like you to miss that boat so you could spend the rest of your time here then over there, in the strange country with a particular stranger you never met." Tokio looked at her daughter eyes. She noticed that not a single tear fell from her eyes. It was so unusual for Kaoru not to shed a tear, when it came to leaving home. Many times Kaoru left home with a tear-streaked face, this time she was leaving her home as a woman.

"Mother, please don't look at me the way you do. You don't need to shed tears on this day," whispered Kaoru quietly, as she saw her mother struggling to be brave this day and not let her tears get into the way of her preparation of leaving her home.

"I try not to think that you're leaving for good. I try to say that you'll be back someday, but it seems that even the comforting I try on myself does not work. Maybe it is because I know you are leaving me, and that I would never get to see you in a long time to come." Tokio tried so desperately to hide her feeling from her daughter but always known to hold nothing from her daughter, she could tell her attempts were futile.

"Mother, you will get to see me soon, that I promise you." The maid came in with the last things, readying the bags that had to be stacked away in the carriage. For the next two hours, everyone scurried about the place, trying their best to get their mistress's daughter ready for her big journey.

Soon everything was ready. The trunks were piled with the latest clothes made from the best clothes makers. One dress, in which she worked very hard on, was her wedding dress. For the past month, she made sure she worked on the dress to the last detail. The dress was a color of creamy white, paler then the color of her skin. The dress was covered with hand made lace, except for the tight fitting sleeves. The beautiful gown was tight around her small waist with a square neckline and a flowing skirt, the lace divided in the front to show the skirt beneath. Kaoru decided to wear her wedding dress with white pearls that her mother gave to her on her nineteenth birthday and her white satin slippers.

Tae personally saw that Kaoru's wedding dress was placed into a different trunk, so that it wouldn't wrinkle as bad. From the little to the grandest weddings she could remember, the dresses were not as beautiful as this wedding dress was. She saw how much time and effort that Kaoru put into planning her wedding dress and making it real. To make sure everything went according to plan, Tae checked one last time to see that the grand coach was packed with all the necessary equipment.

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The small- three-masted vessel remained on dock for the past three days, awaiting the main the passenger to come aboard deck. Gensai, captain of the boat called _Flamer_, stood on deck watching the everyday movement on the seaport. The wind blew slightly on his wind roughly face. For some reason he felt very uneasy.

Soujiro Seta needed some assistance. Earlier he summoned Gensai and offered him a generous amount of money. It was granted to him, if he was willing to bring about a safe passage to Soujiro's fiancée across the Caribbean Sea, he will reward him extra money as a bonus. Before Soujiro approached him, he decided to retire his years from sailing out into the open seas. He wanted to take a long break from the sea, because after all he had his experiences. Plus he didn't want to escort women over sea.

_This woman must mean a great deal to he Mr. Seta_. Gensai looked at his building crew. He saw them stocking the last remain of supplies aboard the ship. Looking worriedly over the men, Gensai hoped that the men had their fills of women. He didn't want anything bad happening to Soujiro's wife-going-to-be. On the hold, women were bad luck to have on a ship. It was as well as a superstitious belief. Women expected to be pampered, to be fitted in such luxuries. This was going to be the worse voyage he had in twenty years of his time sailing across the seas.

Then just around the corner, a grand coach pulled up. The amount of trunks packed on top of the coach astonished Gensai. From the amount of trunks packed on top the coach, Gensai guessed that the bride and her family were already here for the voyage. _My God! _Why did he take this job?

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Kaoru looked out through the window of the small carriage. Through the window she saw so many three-masted vessels, her father told her that she would be traveling on. She decided she should look more into learning about ships because _Flamer_ was just one of the ships Soujiro owned.

Saito got off the carriage and spoke to a passing sailor. The sailor revealed that the coach was parked right in front of the ship in which he was looking for. Saito went aboard the ship to talk to the person in charge. There he found the relevant information and came back to relay the information to his family.

Kaoru waited patiently until she saw her father opened the carriage door. A part of her panicked at the fact knowing that this was the last time she would ever be near her native home. From tomorrow she would be out at Sea, away from her mother who cared deeply for her.

"The captain the trunks will be loaded aboard the ship. By this evening he's planning to set the ship at Sea. He said the earlier the ship leaves, the less time it would take to get to the Caribbean."

Kaoru was astonished by his generosity. Never had he been so kind as to tell information in complete detail. Saito was just a man if a few words. His harsh, serious face did the speaking for him alone. He believed that talking was a waste of his time.

By the time afternoon hit, the ship was already loaded and ready to leave port. Kaoru cried at last, the tears she kept back, spilled from her eyes freely. She hugged her mother with all her heart, and lightly kissed her father on his cheek. He seemed embarrassed by the light gesture, though that didn't get to her. She just wanted to say a decent goodbye to her father she tried so hard over her years to please so much. It would have been nice, if Saito told her just once that he truly loved her, just for once those words could stop all the suspicion she carried in her heart over the years.

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She bid her last farewell to her father, for he would never be able to give her another heartbreak. Her mother, however, was a different story. It took Captain Gensai to break her apart from her mother. He pushed her lightly aboard the ship. Following her every step of the way was her maid and companion throughout the whole journey.

Turning around, Kaoru watched her mother one last time. Each second, her vision got blurrier because of her tears. So many times she blinked her eyes, hoping to get a better glance of her mother's disappearing form, but her eyes brought new tears to life. She also felt all eyes on ship, directly on her. She forgot to tie her long raven hair up in a bun, for the loose ribbon that once held her together, fell away with such ease. The dark midnight hair caught the sun's reflection, making it a sight to behold at the moment.

Gensai barked his order at the crew. Momentarily struck by the beautiful sight of the fine looking woman with long raven hair, they finally realized they were not dreaming and dispersed to doing their daily work. Gensai could not believe the beauty the woman held. Her shimmering long raven hair, beautiful sapphire eyes, her slender form, made her the most beautiful woman Gensai ever laid his eyes on. Plus on top of that, she carried so much gold aboard the ship, mostly dowry money. It was enough to make any man go pirate, plus the beautiful Ms. Kamiya could tempt any man and not know it. However, out of word of honor, Gensai promised to escort Ms. Kamiya to Soujiro, and that was something he would keep, or at least die trying.

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For the pass two weeks, Kaoru missed her long luxurious baths. On deck, she couldn't have that. The bowl of water that was placed quietly on the table was not enough to keep her clean. The real problem was her long raven hair. Due to the fact of the length of her hair, Kaoru realized her hair could not be easily managed. It only took the first rainstorm, the _Flamer_ experienced, that she got her first bath or shower. She risked walking on the slippery decks, to manage her hygiene well. Captain Gensai warned her against it but she got away with it. He ordered all of his crew below deck, while she stood on the top deck, next to her maid Tae, and a few guards. She smiled at the knowledge of feeling perfectly safe where she was located.

A few times Kaoru joined the Captain to dinner. Each time they met, he warned her to stay away from the crewmembers on deck. He never explained why he wanted it to be so. She honestly didn't see any harm going on deck, when the other men were there, but whatever was the reason, had to be a good one.

Finally summoning up the courage to ask her maid, Kaoru sat and began. "Why can I not go on board when the crew is around?"

"This is something you should not concern yourself with," said Tae. "Just do as the Captain instructs you."

"But you know the reason do you?" Kaoru pressed the issue further.

"Well, yes I do," she answered, looking away from Kaoru.

"Then why do you hesitate not to tell me anything? I am no longer a child. I am going to marry soon."

"Yes I know that, but you are innocent in many ways and still you are a child."

"Very well, why can I not have any freedom on this ship. For what reason am I kept locked away?"

It took a moment before Tae answered, but when she did, Kaoru was astonished at the news her maid told her. "It is because you are so beautiful. The Captain is afraid you might tempt the crew. You see men have desires, desires so strong; they're willing to die for it. In this instance, the Captain is afraid men will not be able to fight their desire to make love to you."

"Oh!" she gasped, not knowing what to say.

"This is the reason why, you should keep a low profile from going up on deck."

"How is it you know so much about this?" asked Kaoru with a pleasant smile on her face.

"Because I was never shielded from men as you are," answered Tae.

"So you have made love to a man before?"

"Now you're curiosity goes way to far. I think we should leave certain things private, don't you think?" Kaoru never pushed the subject any further. She wanted to know what was so good about making love that men were willing to die for it. Well, she had to wait till her wedding. Once she was married, she would find out the true secrets about making love.

After four weeks at being at sea, Kaoru experienced not such a nice incident. Tae left the main cabin room to get Kaoru's food, leaving Kaoru all by herself. Kaoru wanted to so badly go up on deck that she waited eagerly for her maid to return. Searching through her trunks filled with clothes, she heard soft footsteps behind her. Kaoru turned around automatically, expecting to meet Tae. She never did, instead she met with a huge man, who grabbed her harshly by her shoulders and pinned against her the wall like nothing. He just held her. He didn't seem to hear her. His eyes were to busy traveling up and down her body.

"Grab him!" the Captain, shouted. Two men rushed into the room and grabbed the man. He struggled while he was taken on deck and tied to the mainmast. Kaoru followed in confusion. Before she could fully comprehend the whole situation, she saw a guard pulled off the man's tunic, who was tied on the mainmast. The other guard took out a leather whip, about a yard long.

"Apparently the crew was warned about a situation like this. Soujiro will certainly be upset from finding out that you were almost raped," said the Captain. He nodded his head toward the guard holding the long whip. With a crack from the whip, the officer brought his whip down at the open back. Once, twice, the whip kept on clashing. Trickles of blood sprung from the wounded flesh as the men yelled out in pain. Splashes of blood splattered on the men's clothing nearby. Each whipping sound pushed a strong feeling inside of Kaoru. It was the first time she experienced such cruelty. Her mind became like waves, and her eyes became droopy like. Before the whipping scene ended, Kaoru fainted only seeing the color of crimson in her mind.

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(To be Continued) 


	3. Mistakes

AN- This is the next chapter and I hope the wait for this chapter was really worth it. I'm sorry I couldn't post it before. I couldn't because I was so busy, but I do hope you enjoy. Thanks and please do leave a review, but not any flames.

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****DISCLAIMER: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. I wish I did but I don't. : (** **

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**Mistakes**

**Chapter Three**

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Flamer made a great distance within a month. The waters and the air grew much warmer, and the water looked like grew a light blue color. It meant only one thing to Kaoru; the vessel was almost to the Caribbean shores. The excitement of knowing such a thing brought out so much in Kaoru. She could not wait any longer before meeting her new fiancé, a man of mystery and considerably amount of wealth. Though there were times Kaoru wondered why her father chose based on status and not the reason if she would love the man or not. No matter what she was told by her mother, she hadto marry the man. If it was the last thing she could do to please her father, then she was willing to do so

Today Kaoru walked freely on deck with no worries. After the horrible incident she and the crewmen witnessed, everything changed. The men did not dare look her direction whenever she passed. They only walked away when she headed their direction. Personally she wondered if what Tae said was true. Were men willing to die so easily just to make love? What was so good about making love? That was not an answer for her to find until she finally married.

"You know it was not a good idea to ask the Captain come out here during the day," Tae said making it more like it statement then a question. Kaoru understood where she was going at.

"Oh please Tae, everything will be alright. This is such a beautiful day. I am not prisoner on this boat where I must be locked up during the day to wander at night. I need the fresh sunlight as well as to see the moon," said Kaoru quietly. Her sapphire eyes never wavered from watching the beautiful sea rippled beneath the vessel.

"I preferred if you see the moonlight then the sun. I think you should have heed the Captain's warning before doing this terrible action. Kaoru does safety not matter?"

"Of course my safety matters, but it matters as much as my freedom."

"Then sometimes you have to sacrifice your freedom for other things. In this case for instance you are sacrificing your freedom for safety." But before Kaoru could say anything in her defense because she saw an object far away. Far above the surface of the tiny vessel far away, Kaoru saw something waving in the air. At first she paid no attention to it and then she heard one of the men aboard the ship cry out something about the other ship.

"What has happened?" asked Kaoru with a concern voice. Her sapphire eyes flashed with fear. Maybe she should have heed the Captain's warning. Maybe she must have stayed inside. All she had to do was wait until she got to the Caribbean Island, but because of her stubbornness, she had to pay the consequence of her actions.

"Ladies, please get back to the cabins quickly," called the Captain from the distance.

The men rushed to their positions, getting their weapons ready to take action, while below, the cannons were being prepared to shoot at the incoming ship.

"Tae, please tell me what's going on," whimpered Kaoru as she felt the guards who normally guarded her and Tae dragged her to the cabin below. They took her to the safety of the Captain's room and told her to lock the door. No matter what she should not open the door unless the noise stopped and everything was quiet.

"Everything is going to be okay Kaoru, everything is going to be okay," whispered Tae.

Through it all Kaoru heard the gun firing, the cannon balls hitting one another. The vessel trembled from the big impacts of the cannon balls. The men shouts, the loud orders from the captain surrounded the Captain's room in which Tae and Kaoru were occupying.

Then the final blast came from the last shoot of the cannons. Men shouted at the invading enemies. Just right before the door, Kaoru heard shuffles of feet moving towards her and Tae. She panicked, scurrying to the corner of the room, moving closer to Tae for both comfort and protection. For a moment Kaoru heard Tae praying for a way out of a moment like this. Her words filled the whole room, making Kaoru feel a little bit at ease.

Finally after sometime the noise stopped. _Flamer_ became very still. Not a sound came from the other end of the room. Tae stopped praying and hugged Kaoru, trying her best to comfort her. "Do not worry. It is all over my dear, it is all over."

However Tae words were impossible to believe, because out of nowhere, the door that once stood, fell down to the floor and standing at the door were not the same men that Kaoru and Tae recognized, but Pirates who were armed and dangerous, ready to take their lives.

"Hey Captain, the wench is here!" shouted one of the men standing before Kaoru. She could hear her heart thundering throughout the room as she was forced slowly to her feet by a couple of other men. Looking at them, Kaoru saw something hidden in their eyes, something she preferred not to acknowledge.

"Ain't she a pretty lookin' wench," said one the men looking at her lustfully. He licked lips while he put his hands together wickedly and he stepped forward to her. His eyes traveled up and down her body as if undressing her with his eyes. She stood there shocked at this man's rudeness gesture. Even if this man was considered a pirate, he was not allowed to address himself like that toward a lady!

"Yeah and she got spirit too," said the another man. He looked at her lustfully like the other man before did.

"Shit! Reckon the Captain won't share her. We ain't nothin' to do with the wench," said another man.

Then the men stopped talking all together. The room became too silent for Kaoru to bare. She wanted to know why they stopped speaking; she wanted to know what was going to happen next. Most likely she might die like the stories she heard from going to convent school. They might chop her up, rape her, or just throw her over board to be eaten by the sharks._ Oh no, please don't let them throw her over the ship to die!_ She already didn't know how to swim properly. Her father thought it was unsuitable for his daughter to learn how to swim. He believed a lady didn't need to know how to swim.

Silently the men shifted away when a noise came toward her and Tae. Tae shoved her right arm beforeKaoru and pushed her back a little until a tall figure appeared among the men. The stranger moved closer towardTae and her, but never stopped until he was few inches away from them. There from where he stood, Kaoru got a good look at his physical appearance. The very tall man looked to be about a six feet tall or maybe even taller then that. His dark spiked hair, gave him a sinister look, but also made him strikingly handsome. Though what really got to her was his size. His arms and chest were powerful. From the way his muscles rippled through his open shirt, Kaoru could tell how powerful he was. He could crush her small frail frame within an instant. Leaning against the back wall for support, Kaoru gulped as she awaited her faith. She hoped with all her heart that they would have mercy upon her soul and Tae's soul.

"Can you speak English?" asked the tall stranger, looking at her intently. He then moved his eyes away from her to the woman next to her. "Can you speak English too?"

There wasawkward silence for a moment. Kaoru didn't know whether she should respond or keep her mouth shut. It was Tae who broke the silence. "Yes we can speak English."

The tall stranger smiled with a triumph expression in his eyes. Kaoru looked around the room, keeping her eyes away from his. She saw the other men smiled. Now they knew they spoke English. Kaoru wondered what they were planning to do with the next. "Why do you sail to the Caribbean seas?"

"We sail because we are expected to be there to meet someone," answered Tae with confidence. She had an idea, one that may save Kaoru's life and hers as well, but it would only work if it were played out a certain way. She only hoped that they would be merciful and that they were mercenaries as they were cold-blooded killers.

"To meet whom?" asked another voice. All the men looked at the direction where the voice came from. Kaorudidn't noticed all the other menbut the tall stranger who now had his dark eyes on her. Just by him looking at her alone, she knew she could not stay silent for long,

"To meet…" but Tae never had a chance to finish her sentence for the man who spoke shortly before interrupted her.

"Not you, I want to hear the other woman."

Kaoru felt her body stiffened from when she realized that the mysterious man wanted to hear her speak. Looking away from the tall stranger, Kaoru searched the crowd of men looking for theowner of such a deadly harsh voice.

"I said I want to hear you speak woman." The owner of the voice moved away from the crowd of men to stand next to the tall stranger. Something about the way he moved scared Kaoru, forcing her to lay her body flat against the wall. Her small hands clenched in frustration, while her mind wanted her to scream from the pressure she was feeling inside her. But what really got her to stop her crazy reaction was when her sapphire eyes clashed with boiling amber eyes. It caused her to stop breathing for a moment, while her heart thundered with extreme rhythm. There was something haunting about those eyes. She felt like she could fall forever into the depths of them.

He was about to say something. Kaoru could see he was growing impatient by the second. His cold eyes were strong enough to make her say something. "I am suppose to meet my fiancé in the Caribbean. He awaits my arrival."

"I guess he would have to wait longer then usual," said the tall stranger. Kaoru didn't have time to notice the mockery in which the tall stranger held in his voice. Instead she kept her eyes focused on the man with amber eyes and fiery red hair. His long redhair was tied into a high ponytail. What captivated her the about him was the single slash he had across the left side of his cheek. It looked like he got the cut very recently, for the cut was still fresh. Just a trickle of blood was something Kaoru could make out.

"What shall we do them Captain?" asked the taller stranger, looking down at the man beside him.

The what? The shorter man with amber eyes and fiery red hair was the captain? Why did they attack the vessel in the first place? Kaoru was stunned when the men started pushing them away from the room in which she stayed in to the deck. They dragged her to theedge of the ship by the railing, where the men stopped and waited for the Captain's order on what they should do to her next.

"Throw her overboard and let the sharks eat her alive," said the Captain softly, yet the power of his words came from not the softness of his voice, but the intensity of it.

"No please don't kill us!" yelled Tae. "I'm begging you! You can get so much money if you turn us in to Soujiro Seta! He will be willing to pay you any amount of money you want. Just name the price, but please do not kill us!"

Kaoru closed her eyes and awaited her doom. She knew either way the outcome of her life would be slim to none. She would be at his mercy and that he didn't give a damn about them or not. _Tae was right about everything_. Ready to give her life, Kaoru edged toward the railing, pushing most of her wait to the other side. Waiting for her death, she never heard the call to stop everything, or never felt the strong hands that clasped firmly on her waist and pulled her away. All she knew was that she should have listened to what Tae had said before. She should have given up her freedom to be safe. They were not far away from the Caribbean. If only she had listened to Tae, they would have never been in this situation to begin with.

**

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(To be Continued)


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